Studied by 0 people
How does anxiety affect eyewitness testimony
Anxiety has emotional (worry, tension) and physical (increased blood pressure) effects that can impact the accuracy and detail of eyewitness recall
How does anxiety negatively affect recall
Physiological arousal prevents attention to important cues, leading to worse recall
How did Johnson & Scott investigate the effects of anxiety on recall
Participants believed they were in a lab study and experienced one of two conditions in a wating room:
Low anxiety: Heard an argument saw a man with a grease-covered pen
High anxiety: Heard an argument with breaking glass, saw a man with a bloody knife
What were the results of Johnson & Scott’s study
Participants had to identify the man from 50 photos:
Low anxiety condition: 49% correctly identified him
High anxiety condition: 33% correctly identified him
What does the tunnel theory of memory suggest
Witnesses focus on the weapon as a source of anxiety, reducing attention to other details
How can anxiety improve eyewitness testimony
The fight or flight respone increases alterness, mkaing individuals more aware of cues, which can enhance memory
How did Yuille & Cutshall study anxiety’s effect on reacall
Investigated a real life shooting in which a shop owner shot a thief dead
21 witnesses, 13 participated
Interviews conducted 4-5 months later, compared to original statements
Participants rated their stress levels on a 7-point scale
What were the results of the Yuille & Cuthsall’s study
Witnesses with the hgihest stress elvels had the most accurate recall, suggesting anxiety can enhance memory
How does the Yerkes-Dodson law explain the contradictory findings on anxiety
It suggests that mememory performance improves with moderate anxiety but declines if anxiety becomes too high
What ethical concerns exist with anxiety and EWT research
Participants may experience psychological harm from recalling traumatic events
What did Pickel’s study suggest about weapon focus
Using unusual objects (e.g. raw chicken in a hair salon) led to poorer eyewitness accuracy, suggesting unusualness, not anxiety, affects recall
